


Cold Crisis

by FlashDriver



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Bedsharing, F/M, Time Travel, is there so much wrong with that?, just a couple cuties sharing warmth, snuggles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 21:33:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18819442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlashDriver/pseuds/FlashDriver
Summary: Silver and Blaze return to crisis city only to find it frozen over. While Blaze has some resistance to the city's dire conditions, Silver has fallen sick and is bedridden. For the first time since their reuniting, Blaze has to look after Silver. Will she succeed? Or will he succumb to the cold?





	Cold Crisis

Hell had frozen over. Crisis city had frozen; they'd been here for twelve hours yet the sight still surprised her. In place of lava moats frozen rivers ran through the city, no longer did it rain soot but snowdrifts blew throughout the streets and sent shivers through her partner's core. While her flames protected her from the cold, cowling her body in their natural warmth, that chill concerned Blaze. Silver was already getting sick. They hadn't been here a day, they hadn't begun searching out the calamity's cause, yet he'd started to sniffle. His face had reddened, shivers quaked through his body, and yet, of course, he'd refused to turn back so soon. Well, it wasn't as though they could anyway; they needed a chaos emerald for that. The emeralds could be anywhere on the planet, beneath snow or deep within frozen rivers, that search could take months. And that was ignoring their greater task, to find the cause of this disaster and prevent it.

Even through his sickened stupor, he'd been shouting about how they had to save the future no matter what. Anyone else would think sickness had driven him delusional, and perhaps it had a little, but in truth, it was amplifying his natural disposition. They'd brought a rucksack of food, books and blankets but hadn't prepared for this climate. It'd taken the worst of her frowning and more than a little pushing to have him lay still while she sought out supplies.

That rucksack refilled with alternate goods, she stood at the door of their makeshift abode. They'd chosen a small bungalow that seemed cosy enough to hold warmth, despite the sapping cold of the outside world. It'd been picked specifically due to its for sale sign, poking out just over the snow. Naturally, they didn't want to stumble across bodies preserved in the cold, nor disturb the memories of a long lost family, thus making it an obvious choice.

She pushed open the door, kicking it closed behind her, and quickly made for their bedroom. Thankfully she found him swaddled in bed just as she'd left him, however, terrifyingly, what had started as a pink glow across his cheeks had deepened to red and spread all across his face. Even double covered with duvets he was losing heat. Rather than greet her arrival she heard a low groan reverberate through those sheets, roughly sounding like her name.

Blaze dropped her rucksack, immediately approaching. His breath was no longer visible in the air, punctuated by wheezing; the cold was deep set in his system. She pulled off her right glove and pressed a hand to his exposed muzzle. Despite its redness, his face was cold, his skin felt more akin to porcelain.

Worry was growing, "Silver, can you hear me?"

His eyes briefly opened, thoroughly dulled of focus, and a small smile graced his lips. "Y-You're so warm…" As they closed again she felt him nuzzle deeper into her palm, cold lips pressing against her fingers. She felt them part as he mumbled, "P-Please d-don't go again, I need you…"

Embarrassment flared but it was miniscule next to her worry. He was barely shivering but clearly not for lack of cold. His body had been weakened by the chill, every so often a jitter would run across his body rather than the more consistent and regular shivers she'd seen prior. "Don't worry, I'm not leaving. I found everything we'll need, we can hold up here until you're acclimatised."

As she pulled back she felt him lean into her, groaning out her name as she drifted beyond reach. If he could complain then he couldn't be too bad, she opened her rucksack and drew forth candles of different shapes and sizes. She couldn't start a proper fire indoors; if she did smoke would overwhelm them, so this was her compromise. She started by making a hearth, stationing ten candles atop a bedside cabinet and setting them alight with a point of her finger. Next Blaze lit candles in all four corners of the room, totalling close to fifty, in an attempt to heat the room as a whole. The scent of different lavender strains was a little overwhelming but she was sure he'd prefer it to the cold.

The feline was about to turn back and check on him when she felt a set of arms enclose around her shoulders, with them a duvet had engulfed her. Her breath hitched as his cold muzzle buried against her nape, "You said you wouldn't go…" Couldn't he wait, even for a moment? At least he was strong enough to stand? Blaze felt herself blush, undoubtedly warming further as his frame leant into hers. With this action, he'd offset the worst of her fears, yet simultaneously shocked her. "I need you..."

Blaze pushed her gloveless hand through his back quills, unintentionally pushing him further against her nape. "I'm going to cook us some dinner, then I'll come warm you up. I promise."

"I'm not hungry," He grumbled into her fur, leaning into her with all his weight. "I just… I need you Blaze. Please, I…"

A sigh escaped her lips; she couldn't refuse him, especially not now. Blaze turned in his grasp, wrapping her arms around him. His head went from buried in her nape to pressed against her forehead, she heard him coo and whine as her left hand traced further down his back and stroked warmth into his fur. Despite the gentle effort, Blaze forced a stern look across her brown, attempting to obscure embarrassment. Sick or not, did he have to speak in such an embarrassing way? She'd been trying to fight the butterflies in her stomach, ever since they'd reunited her view of her partner had been edging from platonic to... not so platonic. Perhaps it was age or longing had strengthened her want to be beside him. Regardless, even taking his hand brought such thoughts to mind; now he was wrapped around her, pleading her to stay close. It was more than a little too much. As she nuzzled her forehead to his guilt swelled, while more of the light had returned to his eyes much of it was still lost to the cold. She had to push him away; there would be time for this later. He had to eat, that way he'd warm and regain control. No longer some heat-seeking zombie.

"A-Alright, let's get you back to bed. Even if you're not hungry I am. I'll join you when I'm done." Her words worked, as she uncoiled from Silver his arms slipped from her shoulders. He unleashed a groan, turned, stumbled a few steps and fell into bed. Soon he'd dragged himself up to the pillow and buried his head in it, wisps of steam escaping his form. Even in his sickly form, he cared more about her comfort than his.

It wasn't so much a lie as an omission of truth, of course, she was hungry but she wouldn't be getting into bed until he'd properly eaten. Finally content with his state Blaze found time to shuffle off her shoes, remove her remaining glove and undo her ponytail. They'd stored much of their belongings in an old chest of drawers; food consisted of mostly canned goods (they'd be eating a lot of chunky soup) and dried foods. If they'd known the climate in advance they could probably have brought something more substantial, filled a container with ice and snow to hold meats. At least they wouldn't dehydrate this time, melting snow to make water was as basic as survival got. Bringing bottled water was a waste but, again, they couldn't have known that. At least she could put it to use now. She drew out a spoon, two bottles of water and a cloth, setting them atop the drawers, before finally retrieving a sizable can of soup (beef with chunky carrots, potatoes and mushrooms).

She pulled the tab from the can, setting the metal seal upside down atop the drawer, and gripped the tin with both hands. Heat rolled across her shoulders, coiling around her arms before quickly manifesting at her palms. Crackling orange flames burned away paper labelling and began to blacken the tin, soon the scent of beef broth was made to mingle with lavender for a… less than palatable effect. Still, given his position, he'd surely avoid the food regardless of how appetising it was. She cast a glance back to him; he'd been awfully quiet.

Silver had curled up in the upmost right corner of the bed, face and hands warming against her makeshift hearth. They were smaller but cloudy puffs still escaped his mouth, it meant he wasn't freezing but he was properly shivering now. Cyan light from his shaking hands mingled with flickering candlelight, creating a bizarre pattern on the ceiling where the two fought for space. On her next outing she planned to target clothes, another layer of fur would do him some good, but for now, a warm hand and a piping hot meal would have to…

A stronger scent caught Blaze's nose, fighting past the mixed lavender. Smoke, had a candle caught the walls? She checked to all four corners of the room, double glancing to his quills to be sure they hadn't been set alight. There were no flames but the putrid scent was only getting stron-

Eyes dropped to the can just in time for a boil-like bubble to burst. Black flakes had risen to the soup's surface, its once beige gravy complexion tainted to a gelatinous brown. As was so common with her cooking, the moment she looked away the meal decided to ruin itself. Blaze waved the flames from her palms, still peering at the over-boiled substance. She drew up the spoon and hesitantly plunged it in; fortunately, it wasn't as thick as it appeared. Eyes closed, she braced and pushed the spoonful into her mouth. It wasn't… no, it was, it was bad. Her nose crinkled as she swallowed, it wasn't horrendous but much of the flavour was quickly overpowered by an aftertaste of charcoal. If she tried again she could probably do better, but then that'd be a waste. It wasn't burned beyond edibility… right? She cast him another glance, shivering and steamy breath had already ceased. He couldn't wait, much longer and he'd get seriously sick.

Blaze approached his bedside, bringing the goods she'd collected. Hazy yellow orbs caught amber, "I told you I wasn't hungry…"

Her face formed into a stern glower, again preparing for the embarrassing task at hand. "Sit up, lean against the headboard."

He didn't refuse her but as he went to sit the covers slipped from him, exposing his frame to the cold. A shiver cut through him, eyes clamped shut, but before a moment could pass she'd pulled them around his shoulders. Blaze quickly lowered herself, sitting close beside him and trying to radiate just a little more heat.

"I'm sorry Blaze." Silver's eyes hadn't reopened; brows were knit and mouth drew into a weak grimace. His voice was weak, "I-I'm being a burden, I got too cold and felt too needy. If you were here alone you'd have done so much more already. Instead of looking after me you could be sear-

The spoon was forced past his lips, teeth gently chattered against metal. "If I wanted some apology I'd have made that clear. We're going to get through this, compared to all we've endured this cold is nothing. Besides, we're supposed to look after each other." Satisfied he'd swallowed she pulled the spoon from his mouth. "Sorry it's so overdone, I've not quite got the hang of it yet."

Eyelids finally reopened, he'd (undeniably) forced a small smile. "What're you talking about, it's great."

She rolled her eyes, "Lie to me again and I will want an apology."

Blaze felt a gentle kick from beneath the covers; he was fighting to keep the smile on his face. "I'm not lying, it's so warm, it's wonderful. Th-Thank you Blaze."

"You're delusional, your tongue's so cold that you can't taste how horrible it is. You should be eating, not talking." A spoonful was raised to mask her blush, this time he took it willingly. When it came to her pyrokinesis he'd always been more than supportive, even when it was poorly controlled, but hearing him praise and long for it was too much. Undoubtedly his words were a mix, true words spawned of a mind deluded by cold, but they still stoked the butterflies in her chest. Removing the spoon she managed a more genuine response, "But… thank you, Silver."

"But… all I did was thank you, what're you thanking me for?"

An answer didn't pass her lips; instead, she took another spoonful for herself. The taste was no better but she could handle it, a few more spoonfuls each and the can was emptied. Her effort had succeeded, healthy, steamy, breaths snuck past his lips. She set it aside, dropping the spoon inside, and picked up the bottle.

She took a sip before raising it to his mouth, "I know you're still cold, but you need to drink. You can still dehydrate."

There was a moment's hesitation but soon he took a long sip, content with his effort Blaze set the remainder to an alternate use. Blazed drew out the cloth and drenched it before setting her hand alight, warming it until steam became visible. Snuffling the flames, having boiled off enough that when it cooled it wouldn't freeze, she folded it twice and began to dab across his face; pushing the warmth back into him. As she did he sank back down the bed, quills splaying against the pillows and eyes closing. Guilt was waning as he recovered; she allowed herself a small smile as he nuzzled into her touch. He was like putty in her hands, every warm stroke prompting a reaction as she gradually heated his face, but soon the task was complete. Her smile faded as she folded the compress twice, setting it to top his forehead, but as she went to clamber over him and into bed she felt fingers catch and interlock with hers.

Glancing back she found he'd reached beyond the covers. "Y-You don't have to do this if you don't want to you know, I'll be fine." Despite his stutter, he, curiously, wasn't shivering, even with his right side exposed to the room. Her efforts were clearly working. "You've already done so much and..."

"Of course I want to." Those words had, admittedly, slipped from her throat a little too quickly for her liking. Biting back that thought she went on to explain herself, "This is no different from those first times, back when we were kids in a burning city. Huddling to keep each other safe, now we'll huddle to keep you warm. It'll only get colder as it gets later and besides, I'd do far more than this to keep you healthy." A thought did dawn on her as she spoke, "Are you ok with doing this?"

"I am, I just… wanted to be sure you were. Its been a while and…" Blaze felt him squeeze her hand; using what energy he could muster. "A-As long as you're ok, I'm ok."

As their grip released she watched a small smile spread across his lips, his once rigid form now noticeably more relaxed. She gently crawled over him, peeling back the far edge of the covers and slipping beneath them. Now, how was she going to approach this? She hadn't really considered it. She could bury her head against his chest fur, but then wouldn't that be his warmest part? Should she wrap her arms around him, would he warp his around her? Regardless, Blaze knew she had to get closer.

However, as she went to do so, Blaze recalled why she'd so often lay against his chest. His quills were sprawled across the pillow; she couldn't really approach any other position. "Silver, turn towards me."

There was a small groan, closely followed by the dragging upheaval of his head as he slowly faced her. Immediately her arm coiled around his back and pulled him closer, lest his quills catch on the candles, but as their eyes met she couldn't help but feel a tension. A hint of glazed confusion lingered in those orbs, he clearly hadn't fully recovered, but the whole of their focus was upon her. While they'd remembered each a few months prior contact had been rather limited. Perhaps that was intentional, brought on by these brewing feelings… but then perhaps that's why he thought she was uncomfortable. When had she last held him like this? She'd let her feelings prevent it; her royal position and its public gaze had led her to shirk such contact. But here, there were no eyes upon them. There was no murmuring crowd, only him pleading her to hold her. At the sight of his blushing face, cast in the warm candlelight, Blaze couldn't help but draw closer.

The compress was beginning to slip; she gently pressed her forehead to his in an attempt to hold it still. She heard him coo at the contact, head gently rolling against hers. Blaze pressed her right hand between his spines, feeling the cold skin beneath thick fur. She still had a lot of work to do. Well, she wasn't tired yet anyway. The feline's fingertips began to brush through her fur, tracing heat from the base of his spine all the way up to the scruff of his chest fur. As she did Blaze felt him reach behind her, a hand pressed between her shoulder blades and completed the embrace.

"We'll make it through this like we always have. Through thick and thin, through hot and cold, there's no one in the world I'd rather be with." Lost in the embrace, she'd almost missed those words as they tumbled from his lips.

She felt his legs brush against hers, eyes almost rolled at his delusion. "Silver, we're the only ones still alive here."

There was a pause; she felt his fingers shift a little against her back. "Well… it's still true, even if it means less here. I'll say it again when we're back." Speaking absolutes, not if they got back or stating some other caveat, only that they would and he'd say it again.

This close it was hard to see, but it looked as though the light had fully returned to his eyes. Her efforts had finally succeeded; her warmth had overcome the world's cold. With that thought, a gentle purr started to ebb from her throat. If others were here she'd be fighting to quash it but here, now, they had the privacy of an empty house, let alone an empty world. Time travel gifted them all the time they'd need, she could spend months yet return to her kingdom, not a moment after leaving. Confidence could bloom at its own pace.

Blaze reached to him with her left hand, gently grasping his free hand. His fingers locked with hers, her thumb topped his, and the grasp was pushed into his chest. As its soft fur pressed against the back of her hand, Blaze's tail coiled around his waist. Their steamy breaths were combining; his body had fully aligned with hers.

"In that case, I'll just say this now and I'll repeat it when we return." Blaze's right hand came to toy with his scruff, continuing to heat his soft fur. Purring rumbled to a fever pitch, her forehead pressed against his. "There's no one I'd rather be here with."

His only response was to nuzzle his head against hers and to pull her even closer, comforting mind and body in exchange for her warmth. Soon whispered nothings would fade into yawns. Though he tried to fight it Silver would fall asleep long before she did, fully succumbing to her gentle touch. Blaze watched him for a while; making sure his sleep was peaceful, before closing her eyes. The last souls on a long-dead world drifted into a comfortable sleep, more grateful for the other's touch than tired words could truly convey.


End file.
